Transcription
[Music] Hello everybody. Welcome to this video on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
When was the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood formed? 1848. And who are the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? A group of painter-poets who wanted to revolutionize Victorian art and poetry: D.G. Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais. They met and they decided to work together against the academic traditions that existed in 18th-century earth. You know, from the Renaissance period, there existed the classical traditions in arts. Renaissance period, before that, what is it? Medieval period. Did you understand? I will show you. This is British history. Okay, this is the Renaissance period, where my finger is—Renaissance period. Before that, it is the medieval period. From the Renaissance period to the 18th century, a strong classical tradition. At this time, you're getting me—this tradition. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood wanted to overturn this. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood wanted to overturn this tradition, and they wanted to go to medieval traditions before the Renaissance. You're getting me—the Renaissance tradition or classical tradition means order, strict rules, accepted conventions. Against that, they did not like that, because this is untruthful, this is artificial. Against this, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who came here, they wanted to revive the simplicity, moral earnestness, spirit of devotion, and truthfulness of Italian painting before the time of Raphael. Raphael came in the Renaissance. Before the time of Raphael, the medieval tradition of moral earnestness, simplicity, the spirit of devotion, accuracy, truthfulness—all these things the Pre-Raphaelites who came here wanted to revive. Did you understand? Shall I put away my English tradition now, guys?
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood wanted to reject the centuries-old classical influence that had started from the Renaissance. They wanted to revive the medieval traditions of moral earnestness, religiosity, truthfulness, simplicity. If you did not understand, I will tell you. John Everett Millais made a painting called *Christ in the House of His Parents*. In this painting, he depicted Christ, Joseph, Mary, the farmer's family with such truthfulness and simplicity that there is even dirt under the fingernails. Usually, when a painter paints a picture, dirt under the fingernails is not depicted, is it? But John Everett Millais painted even the dirt under the fingernails. Charles Dickens did not like it; he criticized it in *Household Words*. Now, do you get me? Simplicity, truthfulness, spirit of devotion, medievalism—this is the feature, these are the features of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Now moving on, there were two groups of the Pre-Raphaelites: the Realists and the Medievalists. William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais were the Realists. D.G. Rossetti was the Medievalist. Between them, there were other members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: William Morris, Coventry Patmore, James Collinson, Thomas Woolner, William Michael Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, F.G. Stevens, and A.C. Swinburne. All these people were influenced by Tennyson; before that, Keats. Keats and Tennyson influenced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The PRB journal—well, the PRB was a short-lived movement; their short-lived journal was *The Germ*.
Now, guys, many people did not like the truthfulness and sensuality of the PRB. Robert Buchanan wrote *The Fleshly School of Poetry* against them. That was in 1872. D.G. Rossetti replied with *The Stealthy School of Criticism*. A.C. Swinburne also wrote a reply. So there was a lot of criticism against the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Now let me talk to you about D.G. Rossetti. D.G. Rossetti was born in the year 1828 in an Italian family. His father was an Italian patriot. They spoke Italian at home, and this Italian influence is seen—remember—painting and poetry before Raphael, Italian Renaissance artist. D.G. Rossetti started writing at first in his youth. He was full of the spirit of revolution. What revolution? He wanted to revolutionize English painting, English art. He wanted to change it. At that time, from the colonies, a lot of artwork reached England: Chinese blue and white china. He was a—he was passionate about—D.G. Rossetti loved blue and white china. China means porcelain pots. Another man, Oscar Wilde, was also very fond of blue and white china. "Oh, if only I were like my blue and white china," Oscar Wilde has said. So our D.G. Rossetti is all set to revolutionize art. Unlike classical traditions, he is painting very detailed, symbolic, romantic art at this time. This got translated into poetry also. Now there are other elements in his work: very emotional, erotic, erotic elements, sensuous elements. That is why Robert Buchanan said *Fleshly School of Poetry*. There are also very remote, exotic elements in Rossetti's works. One of his early works is *Jenny*; it is a dramatic monologue spoken by a London prostitute. Then D.G. Rossetti's most famous poem, *The Blessed Damozel*, written in the second half of the 1840s. This depicts a damozel, a maiden. She has died and gone to heaven. She has not entered heaven; she's outside, and she cannot be separated from her lover. She wants to be with her lover; their love is ideal, and she's spinning for her lover who is down in the earth. There are seven stars in her hair, three lilies in her hands. D.G. Rossetti has made a painting depicting all this, called *The Blessed Damozel*. She is crying and pining for her lover, speaking to her lover, and her lover who is in the earth can hear her voice. He feels like he can hear her. At the end, the damozel also realizes that there is no point in pining for her lover; it is over; she has to go; she has to enter heaven. It is disappointment. She wept like this; she hid her face in her arms and cried. This is a beautiful poem. Have you read it? You should read it—beautiful poem showing pictorial realism. There are symbolic overtones, medievalism, union of flesh and spirit, and there is a lot of sensuousness and religiousness—*The Blessed Damozel*.
Now that is not the end of Rossetti's works. He has written many other poems: *Sister Helen*, *Rose Mary*, *Troy Town*—all major poems by D.G. Rossetti and prescribed in universities at this time. The patron of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, John Ruskin, gave them an assignment: "Boys, come to Oxford. There is Oxford Union; they want to repaint the walls of Oxford. Come, let us paint." And D.G. Rossetti, William Holman, and John Everett Millais went. They painted without preparation, without underpainting, without getting the walls ready. They painted, and all these murals deteriorated. It was a failure.
Now all these Pre-Raphaelites employed two models. There were two models, two stunners. They were called stunners because they were stunning beauties: Jane Burden, Lizzie Siddal. Jane Burden, Lizzie Siddal. Both of them. D.G. Rossetti loved Lizzie Siddal; she became his wife. Jane Burden was his mistress, but she was the wife of William Morris later—Jane Morris. If you look at their paintings, you will see these women—amazing beauties with powerful features, red curly hair—wow. Lizzie Siddal died of opium. D.G. Rossetti was not a faithful husband or even faithful lover, but he was seriously affected by her death. At this time, D.G. Rossetti had turned from mainstream painting to decorative arts. He was making designs on glass, tiles, furniture—why? Because William Morris, a major figure in the English Arts and Crafts Movement, had a firm, for that firm D.G. Rossetti made tiles and furniture and other things. At this time, Rossetti wrote *The Early Italian Poets*, which was later reworked as *Dante and His Circle*. He also wrote a group of poems called *Ballads and Sonnets*, and a group of 102 sonnets called *The House of Life*. *The House of Life*. And D.G. Rossetti called the sonnet "a moment's monument"—a moment's monument. His brother, William Michael Rossetti, also did some writing. He was mainly the editor of *The Germ*. His sister, Christina Rossetti, was one of the most important women poets of the Victorian period. Christina Rossetti, in her writing, was influenced by imaginative tales. She read a lot: *Arabian Nights*, Lewis Carroll's tales, *Alice in Wonderland*, *Through the Looking-Glass*, etc. And in religion, she was also influenced by the Oxford Movement—the Oxford Movement of Newman, Cardinal Newman. Christina Rossetti's famous poem, *The Dead City*, is a dream vision of a fantastic city. Very famous, as you might know, is *Goblin Market*. *Goblin Market* is about two sisters, Lizzie and Laura. Some goblins are trying to make them eat some forbidden fruits. Laura is indulging in it; Lizzie is resisting. Ultimately, Laura is saved from the traumas or consequences by tasting the fruit on—ah—Lizzie's face. The goblins are trying to make them eat the forbidden fruits. This is obviously a metaphor, a symbol for forbidden pleasures. And Christina Rossetti worked among fallen women of the Victorian period. She worked for their upliftment. Christina Rossetti has also written other important poems: *Uphill*, *An Apple Gathering*, etc. *Goblin Market* was criticized even by Ruskin. Ruskin did not appreciate *Goblin Market*, but today it is her most famous poem.
The next important writer, painter, artist is William Morris. William Morris, I already told you, is associated with the English Arts and Crafts Movement—very big movement; it was—he was a textile designer, architectural designer, and he also was a socialist. He spearheaded the socialist movement in England. William Morris initiated the fantasy genre: *The Wood Beyond the World*, *The Well at the World's End*—two books by William Morris that initiated the fantasy genre. A very important book by William Morris is *The Earthly Paradise*, a group of 24 tales modeled on none other than Chaucer. William Morris also wrote some Arthurian legends, like *The Defence of Guenevere*. Later, A.C. Swinburne wrote in reply to it, *Tristram of Lyonesse*. A very major novel by William Morris is *News from Nowhere*. *News from Nowhere* is a utopian novel. It's an amazing novel. Let me read to you a little bit about it from our encyclopedia, Volume 2: *News from Nowhere*, 1890. It is subtitled "An Epoch of Rest, Being Chapters from a Utopian Romance." It is a utopian romance, a novel that combines utopian socialism with science fiction. It was first serially published in the journal called *Common Wheel*, and that *Common Wheel* was the official newspaper of the Socialist League. I told you already, William Morris was a socialist. The narrator of *News from Nowhere* is William Guest. He is returning from a socialist meeting—remember—socialist meeting, and he falls asleep in an uneasy state and wakes to find himself in a future utopian society. The society is described until he wakes up and he finds himself in the 19th century again. So this is a dream vision of William Guest. Interestingly, this novel has a proto-feminist character called Philippa. What do you mean by proto-feminist? An early feminist, a feminist who lived even before feminism came into existence. And this is an important character, Philippa. She is a stone mason and the mother of an adolescent daughter. That is the amazing novel, *News from Nowhere*.
And then there is A.C. Swinburne. He was a major poet, playwright, novelist, alcoholic. He was such a drunkard that eventually he became like an invalid, and he had to be taken care of by his friend, Theodore Watts-Dunton. A.C. Swinburne has written very important books like *The Closet Drama*, *Atalanta in Calydon*, the Arthurian work *Tristram of Lyonesse*, *Songs Before Sunrise*, etc. He employed bestiality and such perversions in his works, and he's also regarded a very preeminent member of the Decadence.
So that is about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a very important group of poets and painters in the Victorian period. They denote the second wave of Romanticism. They also go very closely with—they are associated with—the poets of the Decadence, the Aesthetic Movement. They are all contemporaries and closely associated. The spirit of Decadence in the Pre-Raphaelites eventually led to the avant-garde movements. I hope you liked this video. Please do read some poems: *Goblin Market*, *Blessed Damozel*, etc. They are wonderful poems to read, and do your own research. Revise, follow the reels and YouTube shorts for questions. I'm sure you will have a great time studying. Until the next video, bye-bye.